More severe storms with warming planet

Submitted by Martin Williams on Sun, 2008-12-28 19:05

The frequency of extremely high clouds in Earth's tropics -- the type associated with severe storms and rainfall -- is increasing as a result of global warming, according to a study by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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For every degree Centigrade (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in average ocean surface temperature, the team observed a 45-percent increase in the frequency of the very high clouds. At the present rate of global warming of 0.13 degrees Celsius (0.23 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade, the team inferred the frequency of these storms can be expected to increase by six percent per decade.

Climate Progress has post saying it's likely there will be more severe Atlantic hurricanes. Includes:
[quote]If we don’t reverse our emissions paths quickly, global temperatures will rise faster and faster through 2100 and beyond. This will translate into warmer oceans in all three dimensions: Warmth will spread over wider swaths of the ocean as well as deeper below the surface-we’ve already seen that in the first known tropical cyclone in the South Atlantic (2004) and the first known tropical cyclone to strike Spain (2005). That means we will probably see stronger hurricanes farther north along the East Coast in the coming decades.
More intense storms will be seen earlier and later in the season[/quote]Why global warming means killer storms worse than Katrina and Gustav, Part 1

Now, with an example of just the sort of storm that has been forecast: over 240 people dead in Philippines, 32 or more killed in Vietnam, as result of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy in Philippines).
From the Philippine Enquirer:
[quote]The massive floods that inundated Metro Manila were a chilling reminder of the need to seriously address climate change, experts said, warning that the lives of millions were at stake.
More rain fell on Manila and surrounding regions in nine hours on Saturday than the amount Hurricane “Katrina” dumped on New Orleans in 2005.
The ferocity of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) shocked even seasoned experts in this country where an average 20 typhoons hit every year, but they said it continued a recent pattern of unusually bad weather.
Civil defense chief Anthony Golez and chief weather forecaster Prisco Nilo said they were puzzled by strange changes in the behavior of the typhoons over the past two years.
In early 2007, three typhoons hit the country, with an unusual one in February triggering a landslide that killed 250 people in Southern Leyte province, Golez said.
The typhoons also deviated from their traditional paths during the month of June, traversing the northern and central parts of Luzon for the first time.‘Very strange years’
“When you try to scientifically observe the data … we will find this year and last year as very strange years, and we can only presuppose that this is due to climate change,” Golez said.
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Jose Bersales, humanitarian and emergency affairs director at charity World Vision, warned that the Philippine storm was likely a taste of more doom for the world’s poorest, who often are the least prepared for storms.[/quote]No debate: Deluge due to climate change